Valve and trip-lock for planters



R. L. FORD,

VALVE AND TRIP Lock Foky PLANIERS.

APPLIBATIDN kED NOV. 29. |920.

1mm 2s, 1921.

' t UNITED sra'rs PATENT OFFICE.

Banen: L. noni), or onoAGo, rLLrnors, Assiette-n rro mfrnnnnronnr,

' COMPANY, A oonronnrroiv or NEW afisnsnr.H

HARVESTER VALVE AINE TRIP-LOCK FOR PLANTERS.

specification of Letters Patent. patndjmw 28, 1921.

Application sied november 29, 192e. sei-iai Nef 426,926.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that l, RALPH L. FORD, a citizen of the United States, residing atv Chicago, in the county of Cool; and State of lllinois, have invented certain new and useful improvements in `Valves `and Trip-Locks for Planters, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification.

rlhis invention relates to valve mechanisms for check row corn planters and has to ldo more particularly with an improvement in locking means for the movable elements of the valve and the valve-actuating means in a valve mechanism of the type shown inthe patent to Graham No. 757,399, `April 12, 1904. The object of the invention is Ato provide planter, having valve mechanisme-f the type referred to, with a simple and easily operable device by whichthe valve may be locked in open position for the purpose of drill planting and by which the plunger for actuating the valve as well as the checlrffork and shaft carrying it vare also simultaneously locked against movement relatively to the valve, thus allowing the spring pressed clutch 'tripping arm which is pivoted on the checlr shaft to be rocked on the shaft and held away from the clutch whichV controls the seed-feeding mechanism, without also causing the check shaft 'to rock and thereby lowerthe plunger into a position where it would obstruct the fall 'the seed when drill planting, as will be clear to those skilled in the art to which this invention pertains. f y

The above objects are accomplished by providing the upper end of the plunger and the valve with a novel form of locking mechanism,4 comprising a spring pressed latch carried by the plunger and a complemental part, for lockingengagement with the latch, carried by the valve in position to engage with the latch when thetwo are brought together, and by so arranging these elements as to cause no interference withV the operation of the seed-dropping mechanism when the planter is being used for hillA planting. With these objects in view my invention consists of a combination of elements vand details of construction, or their equivalents, set forth in the following specification and defined in the claims. Referring t0 the drawings- Figure 1 is a fore and aft vertical section through the seed boot of the planter, the full lines showing the Vvalve closed and the dotted lines showing it locked lin open position. Y

-Fig. 2 is rear view of the planter boot with wall removed and showing the valve member in position therein. V

Fig. 3 is a side viewl of the valve membeil alone.

F ig. lis a detail view of the back of the plunger, including the latch carried thereby, and i 5 is aplan view of the upper end of the plunger, on an enlarged scale, with the latch omitted. i

The invention is shown in connection with the usual planting unit of acorn planter, including the runner 10, bootll, and hopper 12, the hopper bottom being provided with a seed dispensing mechanism including rotary seedplate driven in .the usual manner by a transverse drive shaft 12.V There are usually two such units employed and their seed-feeding mechanismsk are simultaneously controlled by a transverse' rock shaft 13 which carries a 'check-fork 13a at either end for engagement with the check row wire to intermittently roel; the shaft i3 and cause successive actuations of the seedfeeding and dropping mechanisms tofplant the seed in spaced hills as common vin this class of devices. VVhen'it is desired to change from hill planting, or intermittent drop, to drill planting, 0r continuous drop,

it becomes necessary to lock the valve mechanisrn in open position and to continuously drive` the seed-feeding mechanism, and my invention is directly concerned with iinproved mea-ns forloclting and releasing the dropping valve and its actuatingmeans.

The droppingmechanism in this inst-ance comprises two principal elements, namely, a tubular valve member 14 pivoted within the boot at 15 and having upper and lower valve plates 14: and 14th, the lower plate being` pressed forwardly by a coiled spring 15a placed between the rear wall of the boot and the valve plate and normally holding the valve member in position to close the seed-feeding outlet 16 and the drop outlet 17, and a plunger 18 pivotally suspended within the boot on the rock arm` 19 by pin 20. y

The rock arm 19 is fixed to check shaft 13 and swings downwardly when the check shaft is rocked, forcing the lower end of the plunger against the lower valve plate 14th and caus- Ving'the valvemember 111 to swing and open the upper outlet 16 while discharging the seed `accumulated in. the lower-part of the' boot, as described in more detail in the pat.- ent above referred to. v.

' As meansufor locking c Y against movement l provide the upper end of the plunger 18 with an eye 21 on its frontA l face beneath which there is formed a groovedvlug 22.' The heard ofthe plunger` is rounded'and formed with rearwardly extending parallel ears 23; the eye, grooved lugand spaced ears-serve to receive a hook- V shaped latch member24 which has a longer arm positioned in the eye 21 and groove 22 which is` pressed downwardly by a coiled spring 25 vwhich encircles it and bears bep tween'a pinor similar device 26 on said arm and the lower side of the eye 21.` VThe shorter arm of? the latch extends between and alittle beyond the ears 23 and presents a beveled end toward the valve member. Directly opposite the beveled end of the latch the valve member is provided with a conipleniental latching element which may j of the latch.

and arranged as above described, the uperator has Yonly to pull the lower end of plate consist of an eye 274 preferably formed integrally with thevalve and having a rounded edge to coperatewith the beveled end With the; parts constructed 141 Y rearwardly against the pressure of spring 15a-to `cause latch 2d to engage eyel 27 to lock the valve in the position V'shown by dotted lines on VFig.. 1 andfallow an unob-V structed'passage forthe seed.. To release the valve and check-shaft the operator has .only to push upwardly against the end of the long arm of latch2ll, raising its otherend c 15a.' The important feature of inyinvention is that when the valvemeinber is locked to.

from eye 27 against the pressure of spring` 25, whereupon thevalve member returns to closed position under the pressure of spring the plungenthe plunger 'and therefore the check shaft'is also locledagainst movement and no accidental lowering of the Vplunger with consequent obstructionV to the vpassage of seed can occur when the dropping mecha-Y `nism is set for drill planting.

bothhthese elements' Having described my invention, what I. vclaim as new is: c

1. VIn corn planter valve mechanism com-v prising an'independently movable member and plunger, the combination with said valve elements of locking means engageable with the valve member andV plungerto lock y them against relative movement.

2. In corn planter valve mechanism comprising an independently movable valve member and plunger, the combination with said member and plunger of means carried .by one of said elements andV engagingV with the other'to lock both against relative movement.l

31 In corn planter valve mechanism com prising an independently movable valve member and plunger, the combination with said member and plunger of a lock coinpris- Y ing a latch carried by one of said elements and a complemental part on the other element engaging with said latch when the two elements are brought together. .Y Y

1.A In corn planter valve mechanism comprising an independently movable valve Vmember and plunger, the combination with saidV member and plunger of a lock comprising a spring pressed latch mounted-on one 'end of the-plunger and a latching eyeron one end ofthe valve member-engaging with said latch' when they valve member is moved toward the plunger. I

5. In corn planter valve mechanism including an oscillating-armand a plunger pivoted to said arm, the 'combination' with the plunger of a latch adapted to 'engage an adjacent part of the mechanism to lock the vplunger and -arin against movement.

Y G. In corn planter valveV mechanism Viiic'lud'ing. an oscillating armv and a plunger pivoted to said Varm, the combination with the plunger of means for lockingthe armf RALPH L. Forni. 

